This thesis is a study of young Sunni Muslim beliefs and succession of the Prophet Muhammad. The informants all belong to four different mosques in Oslo. To put their descriptions of Muhammad in context and also get a glimpse of their "imitatio Muhammadi", the theoretical perspectives used are: The construction of an implicit biography, life stories and the relationship between a particular and an essential interpretation of imitatio.
Focusing on the individual informant's account of Muhammad and the influence of his example in their everyday lives, the empirical data used is a result of six interviews with seven muslims. An issue-based analytical approach is used to illustrate the general tendencies in the material.
The thesis highlights the relationship between tradition and denomination in the formation of images of Muhammad, and suggests that there is room for the individual believer's subjective influence on the notion of who Muhammad was. It turns out that the overall impression of Muhammad is not counter-cultural in relation to the "normative values" of Norwegian society, but rather focuses on his universal moral character. In discussing the idividuals imitatio of the Prophet, a dynamic is pointed out between the two aforementioned forms of succession: The particular and the essential. The importance of gender, and the relationship between going with or counter to society in the following of Muhammads example, is also discussed.
Each informant relationship to the Prophet is largely characterized by love of the most important Prophet of Islam, and an appreciation to him for the perfect example to emulate, he created throughout his life.